5A/4A Playoffs: Round I Top Performers

<p>The state tournament is genuinely the most beautiful time of the year, as it is the moment that we have all been waiting for. All of those hours put in and practices all lead to being crowned champions. The opening round of the 5A/4A got underway on Wednesday, and there were some big showings across the state. Here are some of the top performances from the opening round.  </p> <h2>Colin Westfall -- Lewis-Palmer</h2> <p>Lewis-Palmer got the 62-54 win over Ponderosa in the opening round, and there was a lot of chatter heading into the game about this maybe being the year that Lewis-Palmer did not make a run. Far from the truth. Some things are for certain, and the Rangers heading into a playoff matchup prepared and ready to battle is one of them. The Rangers were led by Junior guard Colin Westfall who was a part of that championship team as a sophomore but now is one of the go-to guys. He finished with 21 points in the game as he hit three 3-pointers and also got to the FT line. He provides balance for this Lewis-Palmer team, and they will lean on him as they defend their title.</p> <h2><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/aidan-kuhl/">Aidan Kuhl</a> – Rocky Mountain</h2> <p>Many wrote Rocky Mountain off as they had an up and down season. That was a mistake, and they showed it as they pulled one of the big upsets on the day beating Rock Canyon 68-64. It was a high-scoring affair between the two teams with the Lobos coming out on top, and the player that they went to was their best player all season, and that is sophomore standout guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/aidan-kuhl/">Aidan Kuhl</a>. Kuhl finished with 21 points in the game as he was aggressive throughout the night. He took chances, and some of them turned into turnovers, but he made sure that he kept attacking, and that led to him opening things up for the Lobos. Kuhl is a confident player that does everything, and he had his shot falling while also getting inside as he made it hard on Rock Canyon all evening.</p> <h2>Ryan Collins – Broomfield</h2> <p>When discussing one of the hottest players of the last month or so, it is hard not to say that 6’9 hidden gem Ryan Collins is not on the list. He had exploded onto the scene with some huge games, and when his team needed him most, he delivered. Broomfield opened up the playoffs with a 74-36 win over Brighton, and their senior big man almost outscored Brighton himself. Collins finished with 27 points on the night. He has excellent footwork down low, he is ultra-efficient, and in this game, he went to the FT line and buried them as no one could match his size. He finished 13-14 from the charity stripe and had his way down low, and the Eagles will ride that momentum heading into the next round.</p> <h2><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/isaiah-thompson/">Isaiah Thompson</a> – Fountain Fort-Carson</h2> <p>Thompson is the player that we chose as the X-factor in the game, and he ended up being the game MVP. Thompson has size and is not afraid to use it. He uses his length to his advantage as he grabs the board and goes straight up, runs the floor and finishes, and also powers through defenders. He is an aggressive player on the block that has solid footwork and also goes up when he gets it. Thompson finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds in a 73-55 win over Aurora Central. When he is playing like this, Fountain Fort-Carson always has a chance.</p> <h2>Blakely Stoughton – Regis Jesuit</h2> <p>There is having a good game, and then there is willing a team to a victory. In the first round of the playoffs, Regis was looking at taking an early exit, and then Stroughton came on. Stoughton is not a huge scorer but shows potential and on Wednesday finished with 29 points in the 65-62 win over Monarch. He was efficient going 10-16 from the field, he hit two 3-pointers and was one of the only players to make it to the free-throw line going a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. If that were not enough, he had four assists in the game as he rotated the ball to the open man with all of the attention on him and saved the Raiders from a first-round exit.</p> <h2><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/owen-koonce/">Owen Koonce</a> – Centaurus</h2> <p>In Centaurus’s 79-60 win over Palmer Ridge, the performance of the night came from one of the best-unsigned seniors in the state. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/owen-koonce/">Owen Koonce</a> put on a show. Koonce leads the team in scoring at 18.2 points a game as he is a versatile wing that can play both inside and out and uses his size, strength, and speed to get past defenders and make opposing teams pay. In the opening round, he was sensational. Koonce put up 36 points in the game as he attacked the defense. They threw different looks his way, and he made smart choices but aggressive choices. Everything was on the move as he did not let the defense get set. He got to the FT line, he got out on the break, and he put his team in positions to score. The senior captain led the way and set the Warriors up for a highly anticipated battle against Green Mountain this week.</p> <h2>Imani Grigsby – Sierra</h2> <p>Sierra got by Frederick 53-46 setting up a much-anticipated matchup between Sierra and cross-town rivals Harrison which was an intense battle the first time around. In the Stallions playoff win, they rode their best player, Imani Grigsby, to the finish line as he finished with a game-high 25 points as he went 9-15 from the field. Grigsby averages 16.6 points a game but saw his game leap and ensured the victory. He got to the free-throw line and also got to the rim, and Frederick had nobody that could check him as he got very hot. His double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds and ended up being the difference.</p>